Open tidbits
Serena Williams shares her love of tacos, and Steve Johnson quietly keeps winning
After her secondround win against compatriot Christina McHale this summer on Centre Court at Wimbledon, Serena Williams made a rare gesture: She not only gave a fan one of her rackets but also signed the handle before handing it over.
Why? Because the fan — one Williams had recognized from her matches before — had given her a T-shirt with a taco emblazoned across the front of it.
“She knows I like tacos,” Williams told reporters later. “She’s really cool.”
Avid tennis fans are familiar with the 34-year-old’s love for tacos. She speaks about her affinity for the food often, posts videos of herself making tacos at home and has cooking contests with her assistant, Zane.
“I’m from Compton, and there is a big mixture of cultures there,” Serena told USA TODAY Sports in an interview before the U.S. Open. “I grew up next to all of these Mexican families, and we were close with them when I was little; we were friends. I think that’s where my love for tacos comes from.”
Wherever the love comes from, it’s strong: Williams eats the dish as much as possible, flying with stacks of corn tortillas on long trips, including her most recent to Europe this summer.
“I make the best taco,” Williams said when asked about the world’s finest. “Or my sister Lyn. If you ever watch my Snapchat, you know I don’t talk about my taco recipes.”
Then she adds, laughing, “I don’t taco about it.”
Williams was not an early adopter to social media, but in recent years she has become an expert: She’s a massive fan of Snapchat, as well as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. She told USA TODAY Sports she might be addicted to the platforms but she still finds useful information on all of them, from breaking news to makeup tips to — yes, you guessed it — taco recipes.
“I get these great inspirations on wanting to cook,” she explained.
When Nike pitched Serena on an idea for her appearance at its Niketown store on 57th Street in New York before the U.S. Open this year, the brand had come up with a taco-truck-inspired contest with mini chefs, young girls who are fans of hers.
“When I was reading the Nike proposal, I was like, ‘Oh! Tacos! Let me read more,’ ” Williams said, giggling.
As she has moved into the lat- ter part of her career, Williams has become more health-conscious, employing a chef for parts of the year and taking premade, Serena-approved meals to tournaments to make sure she’s consuming what she needs to. Do tacos fit into that plan? Yes. “They’re really healthy,” Williams said. “I use lean ground turkey or fish. I don’t use oils. I add my flavor profiles through spices that you can get from a garden. I like what I put together, because there are a lot of fresh herbs. If you eat it in a lettuce wrap, that’s even better.”
In a video she did with Vogue .com last month, she was asked what she would eat if she had to choose one thing for the rest of her life. “You guys know I am going to say tacos,” she replied. “You set me up with that one.”
A friend often ships her corn tortillas when she’s on the road.
“I want to learn how to make them; I hear they’re easy to make,” Williams said of tortillas, saying the word each time with a heavy Spanish accent attached to it. “Ultimately, the healthiest taco is in a lettuce wrap. Have you seen these new cheese tortillas? I’ve been seeing a lot of those. I have to try them.”
Last Thursday after a sponsor appearance, Williams went with friends to Ricardo Steak House in New York. There were no tacos on the menu, so what did Williams end up ordering? “Rice and beans,” she said, laughing.
In February she posted a faux plea on Facebook: “I want tacos,” she wrote. “Everyday I want tacos. I don’t know what to do? Is there help for someone that wants to eat tacos everyday?”
More than 3,000 comments appeared on the post (which was liked more than 22,000 times), most of them positive. “Tacos are life,” one fan responded. It seems as though Serena has plenty of company.